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Delightful, Delectable, Delovely! Gift ideas, $20 and under. From small specialty companies to those crafty folks at Etsy.com, we searched far and wide for whimsy, quality, creativity and affordability. Here are some of our favorites, just in time for holiday gift-giving.
Rescue Cards available at Earthdog for $15.00
Positive messages: Each card set features rescued dogs who are now in happy...

“Carry your supplies with you; say no to knickknacks; and for food spills, nothing beats a hungry dog.” Author Tom McNulty cuts to the chase in his recently released, no-nonsense book, Clean Like a Man. His experience in creating advertising and motivational campaigns for high-profile companies comes through in this readable and entertaining “how-to” look at the world of domestic hygiene. Tom,...

Bailey had no interest in the Cheerio. Impervious to my efforts to get her attention as we walked to the park, my Blue Heeler pup tugged the leash to get to the Retriever in a yard along the way. Since Bailey clearly only had eyes (and nose) for him, I shrugged and let my gaze wander. That’s when I saw the little doghouse.
The classic canine shelter was tucked away in the tidy back yard of a...

1. Cleanliness. There should be minimal offensive odor and immediate clean-up of accidents, and the other dogs should be healthy-looking.
2. Playtime provided for the majority of the day. While a two-hour “naptime” is common, during the rest of the day, your dog should have time to play with staff members and other dogs.
3. Proof of current vaccinations. Distemper, parvo, rabies and bordatella...

Earlier this summer, I took my younger son, Jon, out to Los Angeles to visit my older son, and to look at film school. Before we left, we decided to spend a day doing what we normally do: driving around trying to find skate spots, skate parks and/or places to film.
We visited a new skate park north of town. Like most of metro Chicago, it was connected to the lakeshore bike trail, and to an...

When someone calls up New Native to order one of their sling baby carriers, the customer service representative asks some questions to determine the right size. Like, “If you’re still pregnant, what was your pre-pregnancy weight?”
Every couple of weeks, the question is met with an awkward silence.
“Because it says it’s a baby carrier, sometimes people are kind of embarrassed to say, ‘I don’t...

I am a prisoner at the California Institution for Women in Chino, where I have now been for 25 years. It is a hard and often cold world. On rare occasions, I would see dogs outside the fence, perhaps a stray or one belonging to one of the many dairies surrounding the prison. These sightings brought me both sadness and joy. How I longed to touch and be touched by these creatures, a joy that lived...

I want to hate this idea; it's so Big-Brother-meets-Match.com. But the more I read about these SNIF tags, the more intrigued I am. The little lime-green collar gadgets use radio, software, Internet and social networking technologies to allow humans to monitor their pup's activity and spark up new relationships -- all from a distance. I like the idea that witnessing your dog's inactivity while you...

One crisp winter day, my friend Kate and I went walking on nearby farm land. The two of us had taken this walk many times over the years; that day, we had eight dogs with us. The four dogs in my charge were all “grand-dogs,” as were three of the four accompanying Kate.
After about an hour in the brisk, 20-degree air, we headed back to our cars. As we neared one of the farm’s three ice-covered...

Reading is indeed fundamental, but for many, acquiring the skill is daunting. Fortunately, thanks to some innovative programs and cooperative dogs, the challenge is getting easier to meet. Across the nation, dogs are lending their ears, and thousands of children who need extra help with reading and interpersonal communication couldn’t be happier.
Imagine this scene, described by Brooklyn’s Good...